Way of the Ninja
by SmilingArtist
Summary: In order be prepared for the battle against Aizen, Ichigo and the others were sent to a different world in order to train. But being placed in a three-man squad under an ANBU member was not what they had in mind. -Bleach/Naruto Crossover-
1. Shinigami and Shinobi

**Author's Note:**  
Here's a new story! This time a crossover between Bleach and Naruto. :) I actually had this chapter written up for a while now but was a bit hesitant at posting it up. Not sure if it'll meet the reader's standard of a good crossover but I'll do my best. The main characters of this fic will be Sakura and Rukia but the others will also play a huge role in this story. I want to thank . freedom. by. choice. (had to leave spaces in your penname :p) for reading through this chapter before hand. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the first chapter! Hopefully the characters aren't OOC…

**-X-**

**WAY OF THE NINJA**

**-X-**

**Summary: **In order be prepared for the battle against Aizen, Ichigo and the others were sent to a different world in order to train. But being placed in a three-man squad under an ANBU member was not what they had in mind.

**Pairings: **Sakura-centric / Rukia-centric

**Genre:** General / Action / Adventure

**Speech:**

"Talking"

_Thoughts_

**-X-**

**Chapter One**_  
-Shinigami and Shinobi-_

**-X-**

Hyuuga Neji was not a sinner. He was a person known to follow orders without questioning and without complaint but right at this moment, he really wanted to protest. Why in the world was he given a mission such as this? If he was still the thirteen year old arrogant little genin he would have blamed it all on fate. But of course, Neji no longer believed in fate and destiny anymore, not after how Uzumaki Naruto had defeated him in the first Chuunin Exam that he had taken. The said shinobi was not normally one to back down from a mission, but even so, Neji could tell that the blonde did not seemed content with this. The Hyuuga resisted the urge to sigh. Just what in the world did he do to deserve this?

"Aw, come on, baa-chan! I don't have time to take on a genin squad. I'm an ANBU. I've got a lot of other missions to do!" Naruto slammed both his palms down on the wooden desk. His sapphire coloured eyes shone with annoyance.

Neji couldn't blame him though. If he didn't have to reputation of being a Hyuuga member and ANBU captain he would have long ago complained as well.

"Naruto, will you just shut up and let Tsunade-shishou explain." A rosette haired kunoichi groaned and buried her face into the palm of her hand.

Sakura could tell that Tsunade was beginning to lose her patience with the blonde, seeing as how her eye began to twitch from time to time. Sakura had no intention of being anywhere near the busty blonde when she was angry. But still…Naruto had a point. As she opened her mouth to question, the final person in the room, a pale-skinned, black haired male, beat her to it.

"Shouldn't this job be more suited for an ordinary jounin, much less ANBU?" Sai inquired.

Tsunade sighed. "Normally that would be the case, but…" She paused.

"But what, baa-chan?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"…these twelve genin are somewhat…special." Tsunade crossed her fingers together.

"What do you mean by that?" Neji asked quietly.

Tsunade responded by reaching into her pocket to pull out a letter with a black butterfly imprinted on the top-right corner. She handed the piece of paper to Neji.

Neji took it from her slowly and began scanning his pearl-white eyes across the contents, widening from time to time.

_**Senju Tsunade**_

_**I have a small favour to ask of you. I'm sure you still remember from our previous encounter about how we, the Shinigami of Soul Society, are about to undergo war with the three traitorous captains of Gotei 13, Tousen Kaname, Ichimaru Gin and Aizen Sousuke. I predict that the war will be held in two to three years time from now.**_

_**In order for us to prepare for this battle to come, I request that you train twelve of us in the way of the ninja. **_

_**Please consider this request of mine. The fate of Soul Society depends of your answer. We would be forever grateful if you are willing to accept.**_

_**PS: I have enclosed a copy of the twelve's information in this letter. **_

_**First Division Captain**_

_**Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni**_

Beneath the signature was the stamp of a chrysanthemum.

Neji finished reading and passed the letter to Naruto.

"…What! I thought Shinigami were supposed to be just myths!" Naruto spoke up after he finished reading. "They can't be real."

"Oh, they're real, all right," Tsunade said sourly. "And it looks like they need our help. The war isn't really what concerns us but after looking at the payment amount, how could I refuse?"

Naruto blinked and glanced down at the bottom-right corner of the letter. Imprinted on there was the payment amount for the mission.

"W-wh-wha-?!" Naruto's eyes threatened to bulge right out of their sockets. _We'll be rich with this much ryo! Are they _really _that desperate?!_

"Shishou, have you met this…Yamamoto Shigekuni before?" Sakura inquired, passing the letter to Sai.

Tsunade nodded. "Yeah, I have. It was during the time when I was still out of Konoha."

"I see."

"So, when are they arriving?" Sai asked after he finished reading.

"Today, as a matter of fact. Kakashi and the others have gone to greet them at the front gate."

"Ehhhhh?!" Naruto screeched. "Those Shinigami are coming today?!"

Tsunade resisted the urge to send the blonde ANBU flying out the window. Even after so many years, his personality still hadn't changed a bit; still as loud and impatient as ever.

"Naruto, this mission will be of great importance to you," she said.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked away. "Oh and why's that?" he asked hotly.

Tsunade smirked. "In order to become a great Hokage, one must first become a great teacher."

Naruto froze and turned his attention back towards the blonde woman.

"If you can't complete this _simple _mission, then how will you ever hope to become the Rokudaime, huh?"

_Simple isn't exactly the word I'd use… _Sakura thought wryly.

"You got that, Naruto?"

The straight line formed on Naruto's lips slowly began to curve up to form a grin. "Got it, baa-chan!" He gave her the thumbs-up.

"What about their living accommodations?" Neji suddenly spoke up.

Tsunade turned her attention towards the Hyuuga. Reaching into the envelope, she pulled out twelve sheets of paper and handed Neji two of them.

Neji accepted the file and read the two names on top of each of the papers.

_**Kuchiki Rukia**_

_**Kuchiki Byakuya**_

"I've already informed Hiashi. He says that he does not mind as long as it just these two."

"And why's that?" Neji inquired.

"These two are from the Kuchiki clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. Kuchiki Byakuya is the 28th head of the clan while Kuchiki Rukia is his adoptive sister."

Neji nodded. That made a lot more sense to him now. Hiashi would never allow anyone to live in the Hyuuga compound, unless they were from a noble family and had his respect.

Turning towards Sakura, Tsunade handed her two files as well. "Sakura, you will house Inoue Orihime and Kusajishi Yachiru."

Sakura nodded. "Got it."

"Naruto you can house these two." Tsunade gave the blonde two files.

Naruto gave her a foxy grin. "You got it!" His sapphire eyes then drifted down towards the sheet. _Hm…Kurosaki Ichigo and Abarai Renji, huh? I wonder if they like ramen… _He mused.

Finally, the Godaime Hokage turned to the ex-Root operative and handed him just one file. "Sai, you will house Hitsugaya Toushiro."

Sai gave her a blank smile and nodded.

"Lee, who is with Kakashi at the gate, is going to house Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika. Gai, who is on a mission, will house Zaraki Kenpachi. Shikamaru, who is also with Kakashi, will house Ishida Uryuu and I personally, will house Matsumoto Rangiku," Tsunade said.

"…So, how do you want us to train them?" Sakura asked after a moment of silence.

"The eight of you are-"

"There only four of us here," Naruto stated rudely, interrupting her.

Tsunade's vein popped. "The eight of you, which includes Kakashi, Hinata, Shikamaru and Lee," she gritted out. "…Now, where was I before I got rudely interrupted-"

"Hmph!"

"-The eight of you are going to teach them the eight shinobi basics – Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Chakra Control, Weapons Training, Stealth, Speed and Stamina Training. Once they've got the basics down I'll split them into groups of three and from then onwards, they're going to be your new genin students."

"So, it's just like how the academy graduates get put into squad of three, led by a jounin, right?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade nodded.

"What time will they be arriving?" Sai inquired.

Tsunade sighed; too much questioning these days. Suddenly, knocking sounds could be heard at the door. The blonde Hokage smiled.

"There's your answer," she murmured. "Enter."

Slowly, the door creaked open. The four ANBU operatives turned to face the twelve, who will soon become their greatest challenge.

**-X-**

"Urgh…why do I have to do this?" Nara Shikamaru groaned as he walked towards the Konoha gates with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "Why do we have to greet these Shinigami anyway?" he muttered. "Isn't Kakashi-san enough as it is?"

Lee on the other hand was looking quite excited for a new challenge. "Lighten up, Shikamaru-kun. This will once in a lifetime's opportunity. To think, we would be the first ones to witness the sight of the youthful creatures known as Shinigami!" Lee hollered in excitement.

"Yeah, whatever…" Shikamaru grunted.

"I wonder what they're like," Hinata spoke up quietly from behind.

"I don't really care…I just want this over and done with and get straight back to sleep." The lazy genius yawned.

The three eventually arrived at the gates of Konoha. To their surprise, Hatake Kakashi was already present. The silver haired shinobi was leaning against the wall, reading Icha Icha Tactics.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted, without bothering to look up. "You're late."

Shikamaru grunted. "Hokage-sama only told us to meet here in the morning. She never specified what time, so technically, we're not late," he muttered.

Kakashi chuckled. "Observant as ever, I see…"

"Um…when are they arriving?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Hm…how about…now."

As soon as Kakashi said that a shoji screen appeared before them. Startled, Hinata and Lee both got into a defensive position while Shikamaru let out yet another yawn.

The screen door opened and twelve figures stepped out. The black uniform instantly extinguished the majority of them as Shinigami, save for two, who were wearing civilian type clothing.

"So this is Konoha, huh?" a bald-headed male remarked, looking unimpressed.

"It's quite artistic, if I must say so myself," came the voice of a man with strange feathers on his eye.

"Well, I'm glad you find our village interesting," Kakashi spoke up from behind them, startling a few of the Shinigami. "Now, if you'd please follow us."

Wordlessly, the twelve followed the masked-nin and the three other jounin silently.

"We will get someone to give you a tour later but for now we have to meet up with the Hokage. She is quite famous for her legendary temper, I'm afraid." _As well as her fists… _Kakashi shivered at the thought.

"Hokage? What's that?" a raven haired Shinigami with violet coloured eyes inquired.

Lee bounced towards her vigorously. "Allow me to explain, Shinigami-san." He cleared his throat before continuing. "A Hokage is basically the name given to the leader of our village. That person is considered to be the most powerful shinobi of our country. There are also other Kages such as the Mizukage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage and the Raikage. Our Hokage is Tsunade-sama, one of the legendary sannin. She is considered to be the most powerful kunoichi in the whole of the five shinobi countries!" Lee explained to the group.

"I guess that would mean, this…Hokage is equivalent to Sou-taichou," a snowy haired boy mused.

Kakashi nodded, not once taking his eyes away from his green book. "That is correct, Toushiro-kun."

The Tenth Division Captain narrowed his eyes slightly. _How did he know my name? _He thought suspiciously but shook the thought away, thinking that the Sou-taichou must have given the Hokage all their files.

Before they knew it, the twelve had arrived outside Tsunade's office in the Hokage's tower. Kakashi knocked lightly on the door and a few seconds later he heard the blonde Hokage's voice.

"Enter."

Kakashi pushed the door open and stepped inside looking slightly bored as he moved to the corner of the room to resume his reading, chuckling a few times at the contents within the book.

Tsunade shook her head at the masked-nin's lazy antics but immediately shifted her head towards the twelve unfamiliar faces. She sighed and began her talk once again. "I'm sure you've heard from Kakashi," She gestured towards the silver haired male, who in return gave a small wave without looking up from his book, "but just to clarify, I'm the Hokage of Hi no Kuni, Tsunade, which means you are obliged to follow my orders. I will not tolerate foolishness." She gave them a stern look as if she was speaking to a bunch of children.

A large man with spiked up black hair, known as the Eleventh Division Captain, scoffed. "Sure, whatever you say, woman. Now, what is it that you so-called shinobi are going to teach us anyway?" he said in a gruff tone of voice.

Tsunade's eye twitched in annoyance but she plastered a fake grin onto her face. "I see someone's eager for some action," she remarked.

Kenpachi's face broke out into a grin at this. "You got that right, woman."

Tsunade closed her eyes and smirked. "Very well, then. I guess it's time for me to tell you your training routine." She opened her hazel coloured eyes and gave the Shinigami all a calculating look. "For the first week, you will begin with the eight ninja basics – Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Weaponry, Stealth, Stamina, Speed and Chakra Control. These eight, right here," Tsunade gestured towards the shinobi, "Are your instructors."

The bald-headed Shinigami raised an eyebrow at this. "You mean to tell me that a bunch of _kids _are going to teach us?" He scoffed in disbelief.

Naruto's eyes twitched in anger. "What was that, you-"

"Enough," Tsunade said swiftly, cutting Naruto off. She didn't need another headache to deal with at the moment. She gave Ikkaku, the bald Shinigami, a stern but bemused look. "I wouldn't underestimate these eight if I were you. These guys just so happen to be the top shinobi of this village."

Naruto puff his chest out with pride at those words. "Yeah, that's right. I'm the bes-" But before he could finish, Sakura elbowed his in the guts, which sent him doubled over in pain. "Sa-Sakura-chan, why?" he croaked out in pain, holding his stomach as fake tears ran down his face.

Sakura gave him a glare that screamed the message 'Shut up or I'll murder you'. Naruto shivered at that.

The Shinigami looked slightly amused at the antics of the two shinobi.

Tsunade coughed in amusement. "Thank you, Sakura," she commented dryly before turning back to her little audience. "Now then, as I was saying, for the first week you will be going over the eight ninja basics and then after that, I will sort you into a three man squad based on your skills." She got up and walked to the front of her desk and leaned back, using the edge of the desk as support. She sighed and looked towards Kakashi, who was still in his little corner reading his porn.

"Hatake Kakashi," she called.

"Hm?" His eyes never left the page of the book.

"You will be in charge of their Ninjutsu training, am I clear?"

The book in his hand snapped shut and Kakashi stood up straight and nodded towards the leader of Konoha. "Understood," he said.

Tsunade smiled and turned towards her apprentice. "Haruno Sakura here will be in charge of your Genjutsu training. Is that alright with you, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Shishou," she said firmly, making a few of the Shinigami raise an eyebrow at the honorific.

"Hyuuga Neji will be the instructor for Taijutsu, he-"

"Noooo! My eternal rival has beaten me once again!" Lee hollered, cutting Tsunade off. "Neji, you are truly a genius! I will do two hundred laps around Konoha _on my hands _as a punishment for my defeat!"

_Okaaaay… _was the thought that rang through Kuchiki Rukia's head. _This guy is crazy. _

_I like this kid, _a certain captain grinned maniacally, showing his sharp teeth.

"Hn." Neji just smirked and looked away, already used to the crazy antics of his ex-teammate.

"…Right…" Tsunade commented dryly and shook her head. "Anyway, Lee will be in charge of Speed training. I'm sure you can handle that, right Lee?"

"Yosh! You bet I can, Tsunade-sama. Why, I'm proud to say that I'm even better than Neji at anything related to speed. But of course, Gai-sensei is number one! Gai-sensei is the best!"

"I'm sure they understand the magnificence of Gai-sensei now, Lee," Neji said dryly with a hint of amusement in his tone. "But perhaps you should allow Tsunade-sama continue."

Lee immediately stopped his ranting and turned towards the Hokage and bowed deeply. "My most sincere apologies, Tsunade-sama," he said dutifully.

Tsunade nodded. "Now, where was I…oh, yes, Sai," She gestured towards the ANBU captain, "will be in charge of your Stealth training."

Sai nodded understandingly.

"Hyuuga Hinata will be teaching you the aspects of Chakra Control."

Hinata blushed slightly and gave the Shinigami and humans a small bow.

"Uzumaki Naruto will be in charge of your Stamina training."

Naruto grinned but didn't say anything, fearing the wrath of a certain rosette kunoichi.

"And finally, Nara Shikamaru will be teaching you the aspects of Weaponry."

Shikamaru yawned. "How troublesome…" he muttered, picking his ear.

Tsunade ignored the lazy shinobi and continued. "I hope you all enjoy your stay here at Konoha. If you need any assistance then feel free to ask any of the shinobi that you see in the village. Hopefully, there won't be any problems," the blonde said with a smile.

"Where will we be staying?" Rangiku inquired curiously.

"That has already been decided…"

As Tsunade talked about the housing arrangements, Rukia allowed her thoughts to drift towards the eight other shinobi in the room. Her violet eyes stopped on a certain blonde. Her lips pursed into a small smile. Loud and brash; yet, she could sense the kindness within the boy. Uzumaki Naruto had reminded her of Kurosaki Ichigo.

The rosette haired female had also caught her attention. Rukia could sense the air of dignity around Sakura as she listened carefully to her shishou's words.

_What strange hair colour, _Rukia mused. It reminded her a bit of Byakuya's zanpakuto, Senbonzakura, with its pastel-pink softness.

_Although, I could say the same for Kusajishi-fuku-taichou's. _Either way, the raven haired Shinigami had sensed that Sakura was not one to be underestimated.

"Now, if you would like, you can all head out with your assigned person and get to know each other a bit."

Rukia jolted from her thoughts. _W-wha…? _

"Rukia," Byakuya called out from behind with two shinobi beside him. "Let's go."

"A-alright, nii-sama," she answered, before following her adoptive brother and the two shinobi out the door. _Where are we going?_

As if reading her mind, the coffee haired shinobi, Hyuuga Neji, if she remembered correctly, answered. "We're heading towards the Hyuuga Manor."

"Manor?" Byakuya spoke up. "Are you of a noble family?"

This time, Hinata was the one that answered. "Yes…we are," she said softly. "Neji-nii-san and I are both apart of the Hyuuga clan."

"Are you both siblings?" Rukia inquired, noting the honorific added on Neji's name.

Hinata shook her head. "No, we're cousins."

"I see…"

The four headed towards a secluded part Konoha. Rukia observed the surrounding and noticed that they were in a more deserted part of the village with a few bits of forestry here and there as they passed by. The only people that they had come across all had extinguishing features – their pearl-white eyes.

_I wonder if they are all related to these two, _Rukia thought.

"We're here," Neji remarked as they arrived in front at the towering front gates of the Hyuuga Manor.

"Come," Hinata spoke up softly. "I'll take you to otou-sama. My father is the head of the Hyuuga clan."

_And I guess that will make you the heiress, _Rukia thought.

The jounin and ANBU lead the two Kuchiki nobles through the long hallways of the manor, passing a few Hyuuga clan members along the way. Rukia blinked in curiosity as they passed a group of members, each with a strange green mark on their foreheads. Some sort of tattoo, perhaps…

As Hinata passed by, the 'tattooed' members all bowed their heads at the heiress, reminding Rukia of how the members of the Kuchiki family would act around her and Byakuya.

The ANBU captain suddenly stopped and turned towards his cousin. "Hinata-sama, I have to go and take care of a few things. Can I leave these two in your hands?" Coming from Neji's mouth, it didn't sound like a question at all.

"O-of course, nii-san."

Neji nodded to the two Shinigami before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

_Was that Shunpo? _Rukia thought amazed. _These shinobi sure are unpredictable._

And thus, they continued forward to meet the leader of the Hyuuga clan, each deep within their own thoughts.

**-X-**

"Hey, Pretty Lady, is your hair natural?" the bubbly lieutenant of the Eleventh Division asked Sakura as the three, including Orihime, headed towards the dango shop.

Sakura's mouth twitched up slightly in what seemed like amusement. "I could ask the same to you, but yes, my hair is natural," she said.

Yachiru bounced up and down in excitement. "Yay! Then that makes you my mommy!" she exclaimed.

Sakura faltered slightly and she laughed nervously. Her, a mother?! She was only eighteen, for God's sake! And this kid was like what, over a hundred years old?

"I finally found my mommy after all these years!" Yachiru cheered, oblivious to Sakura's twitching. "Now I have both parents – you and Ken-chan…or maybe Byakkun should be the daddy. He does like cherry blossoms…hm…" Yachiru, without Sakura knowing it, gave the rosette a sly look that screamed of danger.

Ken-chan, as in Zaraki Kenpachi, the ferocious captain of the Eleventh Division? Sakura tried to picture the three of them together as a happy family and shiver ran down her spine.

No. Way. In. Hell.

Her thoughts then drifted to 'Byakkun'. _She's probably talking about Byakuya-san, _Sakura thought. _Although, I have to admit, he is quite good-looking… _There was something about the Sixth Division Captain that made Sakura think. The very first second that she had laid her eyes on him, she had knew that this person was full of pride. It kind of reminded her of Uchiha Itachi and Neji combined. Yet…those cold eyes of his…it sorely reminded her of Sasuke.

"Haruno-san, are you alright?" Orihime asked in concern, noticing the blank look on Sakura's face.

"W-what?" Sakura jolted slightly and turned to see a pair of grey eyes, looking at her with confusion and concern. "Oh, I'm fine." Sakura flashed her a fake smile. Orihime didn't look convinced but decided not to comment. "Let's go have some lunch."

The orange haired female smiled. "Okay!"

"Yay, food!" Yachiru cheered, grabbing Orihime and Sakura by the hand and dashing off towards the shops.

_This is going to be a looooong week, _Sakura thought.

**-X-**

Matsumoto Rangiku swore that she had died once again and, instead of going to Soul Society, had gone to heaven…_real _heaven. She never thought that there would ever be a day like this where there was no paperwork, no disturbances and no grumpy little captain here to stop her from her enjoyment. It was just her, her sake and Tsunade, her new found drinking partner.

"Ah…this is the life!" Rangiku sighed in content; her cheekbones pink from all the alcohol. _Kira and Hisagi are missing out big time! _

The blonde Hokage made a sound which was caught between a giggle and a hiccup. "You got that right!" she slurred, clearly drunk. With an unsteady hand, Tsunade raised her bottle of sake up in the air. "To life!"

Rangiku mimicked her action. "To life!" she cheered.

Outside the office, Shizune could only sigh exasperatedly. Not only did she have to deal with one sake loving woman but instead, two.

"So much for paperwork," the black haired assistant grumbled under her breath, before walking off with Tonton in tow.

Sigh. "I hate my life."

**-X-**

**Author's Note:**  
There's the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review. I really want some feedback on this. Flames are not accepted but constructive criticism is. :) Other character of Bleach may or may not appear in this fic – I'm still not a hundred percent sure yet. Anyways, thanks for reading. See you in the next chapter! Just one thing, they (the Shinigami) are all in Gigai. It will be explained why in the next chapter. :)

**-X-**

_-Setsuna_


	2. The Realm of Torture

**Author's Note:**  
Thanks for everyone's support in the first chapter of this story. I had no idea that so many people were willing to read this. I apologize for the slight delay in the update but hopefully this will make up for my tardiness. Hope you enjoy. If there are any questions, please ask. I'll be sure to answer them the best that I can.

**-X-**

**Chapter Two**_  
-The Realm of Torture-_

**-X-**

The first thing that Rukia noticed when she woke up this morning was that it was still dark out. The sunlight had barely filtered through the room when her eyes had fluttered open. The Shinigami sat up slowly and looked around at the foreign surroundings.

_The Hyuuga Manor? _Rukia thought, getting up. _Yes, that's right. Nii-sama and I have been staying here with Hinata-sama and Neji-san…_

Sitting up from the futon, the Shinigami winced at the pains on all her muscles. It had already been four days since their visit to the shinobi realm and the training…was painful, to say the least.

**-X-**

The first day of training had been on Chakra Control. To her, it was a walk in the park. Rukia had discovered that chakra required both spiritual and physical energy to mold, therefore, all the Shinigami were to be put into a gigai, since they lacked the physical energy while in their Shinigami forms. First, they had to meditate for an hour, which was quite hard for some, like Ichigo, Renji and Kenpachi. Then, Hinata, their instructor, had given them each a leaf and told them to stick it onto their foreheads with nothing but chakra for the whole day. She told them that it can help with their focus. The last exercise for the day was tree climbing. Ichigo and Renji had launched into a fit when they heard that but was surprised when the Hyuuga heiress had managed to _walk _her way up the tree and hung upside down on the branch with only the soles of her feet connected to the branch.

Rukia had managed to get it on her third try.

The second day of training had been on Stealth and Sai, the pale skinned ANBU captain, had been their instructor. It had been alright. They learnt how to mask their chakra but nothing really unusual happened, save the fact that Hitsugaya-taichou kept glaring at their instructor, who wouldn't stop smiling at the snowy haired captain for some strange reason. Something must have happened, Rukia mused silently.

Weaponry was covered on the third day of the week. Rukia had discovered that their instructor, Nara Shikamaru, was genuinely lazy. But nevertheless, he did go over the basics of weaponry with the twelve. Just like Zanjutsu, Rukia didn't find it easy. Although, she wouldn't say she was the worst, she was just not at the same level as Byakuya and Toushiro. As a Shinigami, Rukia was only used to seeing different types of swords used by Shinigami, Vizard and Arrancar alike but after discovering the different range of weapons that shinobi have in their arsenal, it had made her quite excited, even a bit terrified at what a ninja could do for torture.

Finally, the forth day of their training came and it was _absolute torture_. Naruto and Lee, their Stamina and Speed instructors had decided to split the twelve of them up into two groups and work with them separately since they were both sick of waiting for their turn and were so eager to get some action. Rukia, along with Orihime, Rangiku, Toushiro, Uryuu and Renji had decided to go to Naruto's training first. She had thought that it was going to be a walk in the park like Chakra Control and Stealth, but boy, was she wrong…

Rukia mentally groaned at the recap of the training session. Naruto had made them wear weights, all weighing at 100kg, on their wrists and legs and made them jog for a few minutes just to get them used to the training weights. Rukia thought that her arms and legs were going to fall right out of their sockets. And to think that the warm-up was bad, wait till the main session. The blonde haired ANBU had then created a _thousand _solid clones and ordered the six of them to fight using nothing but their bare fists. Six hours of non-stop sparring, aka, six hours of torture. After which, Naruto had congratulated on their hard work and took them out for some ramen. Renji, for some odd reason, had screamed bloody murder and dashed away immediately after hearing the name of the food.

An hour later, Lee had appeared with Byakuya, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kenpachi, Yachiru and Ichigo. Rukia was shocked to say that least at the sight of her nii-sama. Although his facial features betrayed nothing, Rukia could tell that Byakuya was tired as hell from his slightly sagged shoulders and from the sweat that drenched his face. The raven haired Shinigami gulped. And here she though that hell was over.

Lee had led them to the training grounds with an excited expression on his face. "I would like for you to keep the weights, that Naruto-kun gave you, on," the jounin had said. "You will need them in this exercise if you want to improve on your speed."

Rukia mentally gave off a groan. More weight training? Just what in the world was he planning on doing with them?

"Alright then, now go and run a hundred laps around Konoha!" Lee hollered, shaking his fist in excitement.

What did he just say?

"Then after that I would like for you to do two hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, three hundred punches and…"

Thump. Oh, well look at that, Rukia had fainted before Lee had managed to finish his sentence.

What was this, a ninja boot camp?

**-X-**

Rukia let out an exasperated sigh. She might as well get ready for Neji's Taijutsu session today. Hopefully it won't be another session of torture. Rukia put on her training attire which consists of a plain black fishnet shirt, covered by a purple and white zip-up jacket. She also had on navy coloured capris pants along with the standard black shinobi sandals. Rukia grinned. Although it was quite plain, she absolutely loved her new training attire. She would have to thank Hinata later.

"Rukia," Byakuya suddenly called out from the other side of the door. "It's time for us to leave."

"A-alright!" Rukia answered, slightly startled before following the Sixth Division Captain out the Hyuuga manor.

Now, it was time to see what Neji had in store for them.

**-X-**

Sakura absolutely loved having days off of work for many reasons. No paperwork, no annoying blonde haired shinobi whining in her ear, no socially-retarded ANBU making rude comments on her look, no tardy porn-reading jounin and most of all, no adamant Hyuuga banging on her front door first thing in the morning, demanding her to help with train a bunch of Shinigami and humans from another world.

Too bad that last part was too good to be true.

"I still don't understand why I'm doing this. Isn't there someone else who you could have asked?" Sakura grumbled under her breath, sending a glare towards the ANBU captain, who in return just looked away with his arms crossed.

Don't worry, Neji. We all know that even you were afraid of Sakura's death glares.

"Who else is there, Sakura?"

"Hinata?"

"On a mission."

"Tenten?"

"Training."

"Naruto?"

"Whereabouts unknown."

Now, she was getting upset. "Lee?"

Neji responded by giving her a blank look. "…"

Sakura sighed, clearly defeated. "Okay, I see your point," she muttered. "But still, why me?"

"Do you consider yourself incapable of teaching Taijutsu?" Neji asked calmly, ignoring her question. "Perhaps you are, since you keep complaining this much. Perhaps I should find Yamanaka…" Neji trailed off and glanced at the rosette, knowing fully well that this was going to piss her off.

Sakura's face lit up, half of anger and half of embarrassment. "I'll have you know that I'm excellent at Taijutsu," she fired back. "And I'll prove it to you." With that, the ANBU medic turned away and crossed her arms with a huff.

Neji just smirked. Mission accomplished.

A few minutes later, Byakuya and Rukia showed up in the training grounds. Rukia inwardly cringed at the sight of the field. This was the place of their Stamina training torture yesterday. She was hoping that they never set foot on a place like this ever again, and to think, all this place has was a few trees, grass, grass and more grass – all seemingly innocentparts of nature. Who knew that they could associate with such an evil place on this cruel planet…?

"Hm, well it seems like you guys are early," Sakura remarked, walking up to the Kuchiki siblings. Neji followed behind silently.

Rukia raised an eyebrow. Wasn't she the instructor for Genjutsu? Why was she here for their Taijutsu session?

"Um, not to be rude or anything," Rukia started, "but what are you doing here? I thought you are the instructor for Genjutsu."

Byakuya stared at the rosette kunoichi, clearly wondering the same thing.

Sakura smiled. "Well, thanks to a certain someone," She sent Neji a glare, who raised his eyebrows in return, "I'm kind of stuck here for the time being."

"You're very much welcome to leave," Neji's blunt voice stated.

Sakura ignored him – her attention remained solely on the two Shinigami. "So, yeah." She grinned. "I'm here to help with your Taijutsu training."

Rukia nodded understandingly. _Well, at least there's another female, _she thought smiling.

"Oi, Rukia, Byakuya!" Ichigo called from few feet away.

Rukia could see Byakuya's hand twitch slightly but didn't say anything. She had a feeling that it was about the way that Ichigo kept referring Byakuya with such an informal tone, but obviously he couldn't do anything about it here, since they were no longer in Seireitei.

"Good morning, Kuchiki-san, Byakuya-san!" Orihime chirped, from behind Ichigo.

"Ichigo, Inoue." Rukia nodded in response.

Orihime ran up to Rukia excitedly, despite the cries of her tired limbs. "I'm really excited about today's lesson, aren't you, Kuchiki-san?"

"Er…yeah, very excited," Rukia said nervously. _How could she be excited for more torture?_

It wasn't before long that everyone had arrived, much to Rukia's dismay. She had wanted a few more minutes of freedom before entering the gates of hell once again. Guess that wasn't going to happen.

"Alright, for today's session we'll be covering the aspects of Taijutsu, which is another word for hand-to-hand combat. I have asked Sakura here to help with this lesson." Neji gestured towards the rosette haired medic, who in turn gave them a small wave.

Kenpachi scoffed. "A weak, puny woman like her is going to teach us how to have a fist fight? Heh! Don't make me laugh!" Despite saying this, the Eleventh Division Captain barked out in laughter.

Sakura's eye twitched slightly. _Why that little-!_

"Do not question my decision on who I choose, Zaraki," Neji said coldly, surprising Sakura. Was he…defending her?

The grin that was on Kenpachi's face slowly slid off and was replaced with a frown. "Che," he muttered, turning away. "Whatever."

Ignoring the Eleventh Division Captain, Neji turned his attention towards the other Shinigami and humans. "Unlike Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, Taijutsu does not necessarily require the use of chakra," Neji explained. "There are two different types of Taijutsu used. First would be Gouken, which has to do with breaking bones from the outside." His pearl-white eyes turned towards the medic. "Give us a demonstration, Sakura."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes, Neji-sama." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Then, without warning, her fist lashed out and went sailing towards the Hyuuga. Luckily for him, he was able to predict her movement and managed to duck at the last second.

"I didn't mean demonstrate on my body," Neji commented dryly.

Sakura inwardly pouted and dropped her fist. _No fair! That was so close, too!_

The Shinigami and humans looked amused.

"Do the demonstration," Neji told, once again growing serious.

Sakura nodded and walked a few feet away from the group towards a lone tree. The twelve watched, curious as to what she was going to do to the tree.

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura pulled her fist back and, with a battle cry, drove the fist towards the trunk of the tree. At first, nothing happened but then a few seconds later, the bark began to snap. Soon enough, the tree had broken in half completely and went crashing towards the ground with a loud bang.

_Heh…? _Kenpachi raised an amused eyebrow. _Not bad, woman…_

"Wow…" Rukia muttered under her breath. Her violet coloured eyes slightly wide from the site. _I sure don't want to get on her bad side._

Straightening up, Sakura turned around and faced her little audience with a bright smile on her face. "That punch was just a small demonstration of Gouken _without _chakra. As for a demonstration _with _chakra…well, let's wait till another time, shall we?" Sakura chuckled slightly.

"Thank you, Sakura," Neji said bemused, before turning back to his audience. "That, as Sakura has stated before, is Gouken. Now, the second style of Taijutsu is called Juuken. It doesn't require any sort of strength to perform, just accuracy."

"How does it work?" Uryuu asked, pushing his glasses up, clearly interested.

"Juuken is when one person sends their own chakra from their fingertips into another's chakra network, which can disrupt the flow of chakra. Because of the fact that only the Hyuuga clan is allowed to perform this style of technique, we will not be covering this," Neji stated.

_Then why'd you bother explaining it in the first place? _Renji thought, frowning.

"In this lesson, I'm going to be going over the basic Taijutsu kata with all of you and once you get the hang of it, we'll do some sparring."

"I think it'll make things a lot easier if you pair up," Sakura added.

Neji nodded in agreement.

"Kuchiki-san, would you like to team up with me?" Orihime asked, smiling gently at the Shinigami.

Rukia looked a bit hesitant. She actually wanted to ask Byakuya so that she could prove to him that she was a capable fighter, but looking into those warm grey eyes of her friend, Rukia couldn't find the strength to refuse. After all, Orihime was someone who she and the others risked their lives to rescue. Not to mention, she was one of her closest friends.

"Sure, Inoue," Rukia said, returning her smile.

Orihime beamed and dragged Rukia by the arm to an open area on the field.

Soon, everyone had gotten themselves paired up – Neji with Sakura, Kenpachi with Ichigo (against his will), Rukia with Orihime, Renji with Uryuu, Ikkaku with Yumichika, and Rangiku with Toushiro, which left Byakuya with…

"Yay! I'm with Byakkun!" Yachiru cheered, bouncing up and down from beside the stoic captain.

Even though his facial expression betrayed nothing, anyone could tell that Byakuya would rather be anywhere but here.

Neji's lips curved up into an amused smile. "Well, it looks like everyone agrees with the matching," he stated, ignoring the frosty stare that a certain captain was sending his way.

Sakura stifled a laugh.

"So, what do you want us to do?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Sakura and I will demonstrate a basic kata for you to see. I would like for you to watch carefully."

The coffee haired ANBU captain walked a few steps away from the group and got into his stance. Sakura followed his lead. The demonstration then began.

Rukia was amazed at the two's Taijutsu form, especially towards Sakura's. The rosette's kata, although rough and had a lot of power behind it, was as graceful as a swan flying through the clouds. Her pastel-pink hair whipped around her head gentle as she made a turn. Rukia allowed her violet orbs travel to the ANBU captain, who was also performing a similar, yet, different kata. Unlike Sakura's, Neji's kata flowed as gentle as water in a river. Their pink and brown tresses brushed against each other as they both made a turn in their step. Finally, the two kata were completed.

The Kuchiki female had found the kata to be quite interesting to watch and it looked quite fun to perform, as well, seeing as how Neji and Sakura looked completely in a deep trance while performing. Her lips pursed. Perhaps, this session might not be as bad as she originally though.

A snort was suddenly heard from behind. "So you danced around and made some fancy movements. Big deal," Ikkaku scoffed.

"Oh, now don't say that, Ikkaku," Yumichika spoke up amusedly. "I thought it was quite a beautiful performance."

The bald-headed Shinigami raised an eyebrow, filled with disbelief, at his partner but then scoffed and looked away. "Che."

"In your pair, I would like for you to practice what we've just showed you," Neji stated. "And in the meantime, Sakura and I will come around and help you out."

With a nod, the Shinigami and humans began their kata training.

**-X-**

"I'm telling you, taichou, it's like this," Matsumoto Rangiku whined as she demonstrated what she had just seen to her stubborn little captain.

Toushiro's eye twitched in annoyance. "No, Matsumoto, you're doing it wrong," he stated with annoyance laced in his tone. "I remember what I'd seen. So, stop complaining and follow my lead." _Why did she have to choose me to be her partner anyway? _

Rangiku pouted and crossed her arms over her large chest.

"Everything alright here?" Sakura's voice came as she walked up to them with a smile.

Rangiku's eyes lit up at the rosette's presence. "Ah, Haruno-chan, please tell my stubborn taichou, here," She gestured towards the twitching captain, "that he isn't performing the kata correctly."

"Matsumoto, you-"

Sakura cut him off with a chuckle. "Well, Rangiku-san, sorry to disappoint you but Toushiro-san is right," she said with a smile.

"Eh?" Rangiku looked at her in disbelief. "Why does everyone takes taichou's side?" She pouted her lips.

Toushiro sighed and sent Sakura a nod, showing his gratitude. Sakura returned it with a smile.

"_He's kinda cute." _And just like that, Inner Sakura decided to show herself once again. Sakura scowled at the thought. This was no time to be fascinated by boys, she told herself. After all, she had learnt that the hard way through a certain someone, who had left the village. At this thought, Sakura's viridian eyes darkened. Even after all these years, they still haven't found _him_.

_Just how much longer to you plan on staying away from us? _The ANBU medic thought bitterly.

"What's wrong?" a voice suddenly asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Sakura jolted slightly and turned towards Toushiro who was looking at her with a mask of aloofness. Inwardly, she cursed herself. Some kunoichi she was, getting distracted like so.

Plastering a fake smile onto her face, Sakura gave the snowy haired captain a reassuring look. "I'm fine, Toushiro-san."

Toushiro didn't look convinced and Sakura knew it well and clear.

"Well then, I better go and check on the others. See you later, Toushiro-san, Rangiku-san." With that, the rosette walked off.

Turquoise coloured orbs stared after the back off the kunoichi. Those eyes of hers…they seem so familiar. Almost like…

"Taichou?" Rangiku inquired. Her voice immediately cut his thoughts off.

"Hm?"

"Why are you staring so intently at Haruno-chan…?" Her clear-blue eyes widened in realization. She let out a gasp. "Don't tell me, taichou, you like her?"

Toushiro's vein popped. "That's not it, Matsumoto," he growled in annoyance.

"Are you sure?" Rangiku gave him a sly look.

"Let's get back to practice."

"Hey, wait for me, taichou! You haven't answered my question!"

"Shut up, Matsumoto."

"Aw, but taichou~!"

**-X-**

The last day of their basic training had arrived a lot quicker than Rukia thought. Never once had she felt more energized in her life. A grin slowly crawled itself up onto Rukia's face as she recalled yesterday's Genjutsu training. Sakura had been their instructor on that lesson and it was quite thrilling. The medic had demonstrated a few basic Genjutsu for them to see and to Rukia's surprise, she discovered that she was quite good at it. Of course, the best part was casting an illusion on Renji and Ichigo, showing them a Genjutsu of their greatest fear. Needless to say, something good had definitely come out of that session.

Who knew that Abarai Renji was afraid of needles?

With a small laugh, Rukia then allowed her thoughts to drift towards the Taijutsu training. Never in her life had she ever seen Byakuya so annoyed. He looked as if he was about to murder someone and it was all thanks to a certain bubbly lieutenant. The corner of Rukia's mouth twitched up in amusement. If it wasn't for Neji's appearance, Yachiru might have been sliced into pieces by the stoic captain. Although, Rukia highly doubt that Byakuya was capable of harming the young lieutenant, with Yachiru's wits and all.

"Rukia-san," a soft voice called from the other side of the shoji screen door. Rukia immediately recognized the voice to be Hinata's.

Getting up hastily, Rukia slid the door open. "What can I do for you, Hinata-sama?" she inquired politely.

The cheeks of the white eyed female stained red as she gave the Shinigami a small smile. "Please, Rukia-san, there's no need to call me that. Hinata is fine," the Hyuuga heiress said softly.

Rukia hesitated slightly before nodding. "Alright, Hinata-san, if you insist." Somehow, looking into those warm orbs of the heiress, Hinata had instantly reminded Rukia of Orihime. She had a feeling that those two would get along quite well if they had time to interact with each other.

"It's almost time for your Ninjutsu training to begin. You should get ready," Hinata said, before walking off.

_She's right, _Rukia thought and then left promptly towards the training grounds, eager for their last day of basic training.

**-X-**

Sweat glistened off his eyebrow as he sat on the floor cross-legged, meditating…or at least, _trying _to meditate. Ichigo could hear the sound of impatient pacing and the string of curses emitted from the Ikkaku and Renji. The sounds of flies buzzing around his head were heard loud and clear, only adding to his fueling annoyance. Even with his eyes closed, Ichigo could sense that even Toushiro and Byakuya were beginning to get sick of this waiting.

Just where in the world was he, making them wait for _four_ freaking hours?

Then, a puff of smoke appeared. "Yo!" The silver haired jounin waved. His mask creased into a smile.

Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. "Where the hell were you?" he yelled with a glare.

Kakashi rubbed the back of head nervously. "Well, you see, I had to help this old lady cross the street so I'm afraid I got a bit side-tracked."

"Like I'd buy that bullshit!" the Substitute Shinigami fumed.

Laughing nervously, Kakashi then lead them into the clearing of the forest. "Well, anyway, why don't we get started," he said smiling behind his mask.

Ichigo muttered something under his breath that could not be heard. No doubt it was something rude, seeing as how Rukia elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hey!"

"Shut up!" Rukia hissed with a glare.

"Now then, let us begin with the Bunshin no Jutsu." Forming three seals at the speed of light, Kakashi hands stopped at the Tiger seal and in a puff of smoke, a clone appeared beside him. "Unlike Kage Bunshin, the jutsu that Naruto uses, this clone is not solid." He demonstrated by putting his hand right through it, making the illusion disappear. "This jutsu is usually used to confuse an enemy or for a quick escape."

Ichigo scoffed at the thought of running from a battle.

"Why don't you all give it a try? The Hand Seals for this jutsu are Ram, Snake and then Tiger. I'm sure you've covered Seals with Hinata, am I correct?"

Everyone nodded.

Kakashi smiled. _At least, that saves me a lot of work. _"Well then, get to it. After which, I'm going to teach you Kawarimi no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu and then finally Nawanuke no Jutsu. After that, we're done."

Adrenaline rushed through Rukia's veins. It was almost over – she was now so close to becoming a real kunoichi. Just thinking about it had got her excited. Rukia wondered if she was able to become a skilled kunoichi just like Sakura, Hinata and Tsunade one day. Clenching her fist, the violet eyed girl's eyes shone with determination. This was her biggest chance to make Byakuya, Renji, Ichigo, _everyone_ recognize her strength – a chance that she could not possibly pass up.

Getting into her stance, Rukia formed the Hand Seals for the jutsu. After all, she was Kuchiki Rukia – one of the members of the prestigious family in Soul Society and she must live up to her name.

She would not fail _him_.

**-X-**

**Author's Note:**  
Sorry if it seems a bit rushed. I didn't really want to go through all the basic shinobi trainings 'cause I think that would have taken up at least three or four chapters and I'm sure that no one wants that, right? In the next chapter, you'll (hopefully) be able to find out about which teams they're in and who their sensei is going to be. Feel free to take guesses, although I won't be revealing anything, hehe… :) Not sure if I've said this before but there will be _no _main pairings in this fic. It is strictly Sakura and Rukia-centric. That does not mean that they are going to get together with every single male. It just means that they're the main focus of the fic. Although, there will be some slight moments here and here… Now that that's out of the way, thanks for reading! Please leave a review and constructive criticism is always welcome. See you in the next chapter!

**-X-**

**The Pretty List:**_  
Clary Fray Morgenstern  
lovelylifeforall  
Incandescent. mind  
pauLinian4eVer  
Twisted Musalih  
hallmarktrinity  
yuchi1994  
YuzurihaNoRyuu  
Kissufication  
uchiha miyo  
Raeanda  
Deep-Sadness  
kitty  
Miranda  
Ninja2k  
NejiKoriKaze  
Juniper11  
stringless-marionette_

Wow, I honestly didn't expect so many reviews on the first chapter ^^; Thank you to all those who have reviewed!

**-X-**

_-Setsuna_


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